During the late Pleistocene, Mammuthus primigeniusoccupied the
grassland areas of Eurasia and North America. This mammal, closely related to today’s
Indian elephant, grew to 4.5 m and could weigh up to 4000 kg. It fed mainly on different
sorts of grass. The hair of Mammuthus
primigenius was up to 60 cm long and its color ranged from tawny through
brown to black. In addition to bones, scientists have recovered much
information about Mammuthus primigeniusfrom frozen specimens in Siberian permafrost.

As a matter of fact, it is not true that all
Woolly Mammoths were large animals. The dwarf subspecies of Mammuthus primigenius grew only to 1.8 m
in height. This small chap occupied Wrangel Island from approximately 10,000 to
2,000 years BC! So these dwarf mammoths lived during the times of building the Egyptian
pyramids.

The Europeana portal contains much information
about woolly mammoths, including many images of OpenUp! content. For example, the beautiful mandible (above)
is stored in the Museum of Geology, University of Tartu. It was collected in
1840 by Herr von Mierzerjewski in Poland, near Bug River. This sample measures 50x50
cm and weighs 16.6 kg.

Countless natural history treasures are deposited in museums across the world, many hidden away beyond easy access. The OpenUp! project represents a free portal to these resources, offering virtual access to over one million items of the world’s biodiversity heritage. The objects made available through OpenUp! consist of high quality photos, videos and sounds, as well as natural history artworks and specimens, and include many items previously inaccessible to visitors. Information provided through OpenUp! will be checked by scientists and made freely available through the Europeana portal at www.europeana.eu.